Josh was away in Ban Lung at the Pastor’s Bible School from Sunday afternoon (Oct 29) until Friday evening (Nov 3rd). It was the longest he’s been away from us since moving to Cambodia. I tried to make it a special time for the kids, so it wasn’t just life-as-normal minus Daddy.
Each child had his/her own special night to stay up with me for a sleepover. They each picked their own snack and activities for the evening. Anna’s night was Sunday. We popped popcorn (without the lid on for a little while to see the popcorn fly out) and read lots of books.
Isaiah’s party was Tuesday night. He wanted to make coffee (decaf) and eat cookies. He made the cookies Monday morning as part of our Cambodian Coronation day celebration. So we drank coffee with ice cream and whipped cream and ate cookies. Then we read books and chatted. Isaiah actually made our morning coffee for us all week long. He was glad to take Josh’s place drinking coffee and praying with me each morning.
Becca’s night was Thursday. We made baked apples and played Monopoly. It was Becca’s first time to play and the game lasted over two hours until I was completely bankrupt! On Wednesday we had a special party for Becca celebrating her completion of the All About Reading curriculum. We had special pedicures, played games, and had ice cream sundaes. The party lasted all day long.
As for Monday night – I was worn out and went to bed as soon as I was done talking to Josh on the phone. Wednesday night I did a few projects.
Two different days while Josh was gone two middle school age girls came over to learn how to make banana bread. I found a recipe using the stove-top, instead of an oven. It came out quite well, and I was excited that I could show the girls how to bake something they could actually reproduce in their own kitchens.
Friday night Josh came home and we were all happy to see him. The kids made him special banners. I was delighted to get my best friend back and have an adult around who could speak English. I probably talked Josh’s ear off for the next several days.